Japan's Abe to pick MP Kishida as FM

TOKYO - Incoming Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will appoint lower house lawmaker Fumio Kishida to the key post of foreign minister, Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday, as the government seeks to balance a bolder diplomatic stance with the need to repair frayed ties with China and South Korea.

The hawkish Abe must balance the need to stabilise relations with key trade partner Beijing and US ally Seoul - which have been strained by rows over territory and wartime history - while bolstering Tokyo's alliance with Washington.

Kishida, 55, entered politics after working at the now-defunct Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan and previously served as a state minister in charge of Okinawa-related issues in Abe's first 2006-2007 cabinet. Previous media reports had said Abe might tap former Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi for the post.

Abe will formally take office on Wednesday and is expected to quickly form his new cabinet following his Liberal Democratic Party's Dec 16 landslide election win.